Jazmyne Futrell on Chasing Dreams with Five Children
Jazmyne Futrell on Chasing Dreams with Five Children
Jazmyne Futrell is a mother of five with a passion for helping other mothers. After suffering from Postpartum Depression for over seven years, she started blogging as a way to help herself heal. It was there that her love for helping others came alive. After working in corporate America her entire career she decided to pursue blogging full time in June of last year and hasn't looked back.
As a full-time content creator Jazmyne created MixedMomBrownBabies.com as a safe space for all moms. She saw a need for there to be more real and authentic conversations around motherhood, with all its ups and downs. Jazmyne speaks on everything from raising biracial children to dealing with infidelity in her marriage to her love hate relationship with breastfeeding — she truly holds nothing back!
What is the one lesson you’ve learned that you’ll pass along to your kids?
One of the most important things I hope to pass on to my children is to never give up and not to have any regrets. I think a lot of times we want to play it safe. Get the safe job, date the safe guy, or even live in the safe city. And safe can mean a lot of different things for different people, but for me it meant doing what society said I should. And the minute I let go of that, my life changed. I relocated my family from Indiana to California because I wanted to pursue a career in fashion. It was absolutely nuts to everyone I knew. I had a good paying job, as did my husband, and we were about to buy a home in our hometown. I gave all that up because I didn’t want to just wish I had tried fashion. I didn’t want to look back on my life with regrets. While fashion didn’t work out, the lessons I learned, the memories we made, and the overall growth we experienced individually and as a family wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
What excites you most about being a mother?
This question makes me giggle. It’s a reminder of my growth and that makes me so happy. For a really long time I wouldn’t have been able to answer this. While I loved my children, motherhood wasn’t something that excited me… but now, I can honestly say it’s the growth. Your children push you to be better. They push you to see the good in everything, to make the most of each moment, and to never pass up an opportunity to let your hair down and have fun. That’s what excites me about being a mother. The chances to learn with my children and grow into a better person as I watch them grow.
What are some of the most helpful parenting resources you’ve come across and why do you love them?
When I look for resources I look for three things:
Not too strict — Phrases like “you must do this or else…” turn me off.
Honesty — Not everything is going to work for everyone and I appreciate when that’s acknowledged.
Flexibility — I always look for resources that offer a variety of advice for the same problem.
With that in mind my go-to resources are:
Other moms I know — Most of my siblings have children within the same age ranges of mine so I’m often going through new stages with them. It’s nice to have someone to call and ask if they’re experiencing what you are.
KellyMom.com — This is mostly for breastfeeding but I love how technical it is.
BabyCenter.com — I’m a sucker for real life moms and BabyCenter has a forum where you can find just that. I love how they offer professional advice but also have comments from other mothers.
Mini Bloom products — Everything from Knots Be Gone to the amazing Hallelujah Nipple Balm. All of my children have sensitive skin so I’m always weary when it comes to what I put on their skin. No breakouts and I love that I don’t have to worry about any yucky ingredients!
How has life changed since becoming a mother?
My life has changed drastically. I went from never wanting children to having five! It challenged me in every way possible. I’ve experienced every high and low you can as a mother and I still came out on the other side. Being a mother has helped me realize what’s really important and for that I am forever grateful.
How are you different or similar to your own mother?
My mom had five kids just like me. She was a lot more relaxed than I am in some areas but my views on sugars, treats, juice, etc. definitely came from her. We never had that type of stuff growing up and I don’t really buy much of it now. My mother was very hands on when it came to DIY, always allowing us to help her. While I am not as creative as her, I make it a point to allow my kids to help me whenever possible be it cooking, cleaning, or building a shelf.
What is the most useful piece of advice you’ve received about motherhood?
Lower your expectations. I know it sounds weird but this is one piece of advice that truly changed my life. I thought I had to be this perfect mom and have the perfect child; we would never watch television or eat candy and always be intelligent and tidy. But then reality hit and I couldn’t keep up. I was drowning and when my sister-in-law asked me why I felt the need to put such unrealistic expectations on myself, I didn’t have an answer. Now I make it a point to give myself manageable expectations when it comes to myself, my children, and life in general.
Do you have any mom icons?
My sister-in-law. She’s not a celebrity or anything but she is an amazing mother. She is the sweetest with her children and is literally the epitome of the perfect mother in my opinion.
Tell us about your child’s name… is there a special meaning behind it?
All of my children’s names start with a K. A lot of people think its because of my father. His name is Kenny. But it’s not. I named my oldest Karson with a K because I thought it looked cool. Once I got pregnant with my daughter I found the name Henley online and changed it to Kinley instead. With each child from there I thought it would be weird to use another letter after that! My younger brother’s name starts with a K where I and my older brother have a J and we always teased him that he was adopted. So I wanted to avoid that! Each of my children’s middle names are from the Bible. We would pick a first name and then pray for a middle name for them. We have Noah, Rose (Rose of Sharan), David, James, and Elijah. Oh, I almost forgot, Instagram named my youngest. I did a contest to have people submit K names. We picked our top 20 and then had everyone vote until we only had two left. From there I picked middle names and again let everyone vote. I love that I’ll have that as a story for my son as he gets older, and if I am being honest his name, Kaleb Elijah, is one of my favorites!